Asiwaju Bola Tinubu
The national leader of the All
Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has rejected the praises
showered on him by Ogun-East senator-elect, Buruji Kashamu.
Kashamu, who is the Chairman of the
Organisation and Mobilisation Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party
in the South-West, had last week, described Tinubu as his role model and
the architect of modern Nigeria.
However, Tinubu, in a statement by his media adviser, Mr. Sunday Dare, described Kashamu as a pretender.
The former governor of Lagos State said
there was no basis for comparison between himself and Kashamu, adding
that he felt insulted by the open letter addressed to him by Kashamu.
He
said, “The days of false adulation are gone in Nigerian politics. Fake
praise singers like Kashamu will find that their particular craft is no
longer in vogue. During this election cycle, their practice has
dramatically turned from the way things are to how things used to be.
“Politicians will no longer be able to
change direction and loyalties as if they were changing clothes. Those
in politics must know that responsibility and accountability shall now
follow them. One can no longer walk both sides of the street at the same
time. In case Kashamu has not noticed, the politics of principle
defeated the politics of posturing.”
Tinubu said it was ironic that Kashamu
could praise him after conspiring with other PDP leaders to produce and
broadcast a hate documentary against him.
He said Kashamu’s actions and lifestyle
showed that President Goodluck Jonathan and the leader of the PDP in
Lagos, Chief Bode George, were his true role models.
Tinubu said Kashamu, who was rude to elders like former President Olusegun Obsanjo could not be his political son
He said, “Kashamu may be prodigal but he
is no political son of Tinubu. Kashamu’s political lineage tracks to
people like Bode George and President Jonathan. He should direct his
encomiums to these men who are his true role models. They need his
contrived affections more than Tinubu does.
“This same Kashamu rained insults on
former President Olusegun Obasanjo in a vicious campaign of calumny.
Kashamu’s party, the PDP, sponsored defamatory documentaries full of
lies and innuendos against me, General Muhammadu Buhari and other
leaders of the APC.”
Tinubu urged Kashamu to turn himself to
the United States’ authorities over the accusations of drug smuggling
levelled against him, adding that only then would he believe that he was
a reformed person.
The former governor said as a person of
repute, he could not be seen to be hobnobbing with people of
questionable character as this would affect his reputation across the
world.
“Please keep your peace until you make
your trip to the USA as a senator-elect. Upon your return we can then
have a conversation. We can then proceed with your repudiation of the
PDP with a promise that you will stop corrupting and fouling the
political system.
“I am a patriotic, law abiding Nigerian
and my achievements make me world-renowned. I am a global citizen that
travels freely to the USA, the United Kingdom and other nations. I
associate with individuals who seek democracy and good governance for
all. I do not spend time with characters whose values are at variance
with societal expectations and laws governing a decent society.”
No comments:
Post a Comment